16 english tenses

Nisrina Atikah

16 English Tenses

Present & past Present Simple Present Continuous Present Perfect Present Perfect Continuous

Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous

Future Simple Future Continuous Future Perfect Future Perfect Continuous

Past Future Simple Past Future Continuous Past Future Perfect Past Future Perfect

Continuous

ContentFuture & past future

To talk about Habitual Action (Habit), Timetable, General Truth and Fact.

Forms:

+ S + base verb (-s/-es) + complement.

ex: We pass the national exams.

- S + do/does + not + base verb + complement.

ex: We don’t pass the national exams.

? Do/Does + s + base verb + complement?

ex: Do we pass the national exams?

-? Don’t/Doesn’t + s + base verb + complement?

ex: Don’t we pass the national exams?

PRESENT SIMPLE

OR+ S + am/is/are + adjective + complement.

ex: She is lovely.

- S + am/is/are + not + adjective + complement.

ex: She is not lovely.

? Am/Is/Are + s adjective + complement?

ex: Is she lovely?

-? Isn’t/Aren’t + s + adjective + complement?

ex: Isn’t she lovely?

Something is Happening now, at this very moment.

Forms:

+ S + am/is/are + present participle + complement.

ex: I am daydreaming now.

- S + am/is/are + not + present participle + complement.

ex: I am not daydreaming now.

? Am/Is/Are + s + present participle + complement?

ex: Am I daydreaming now?

-? Isn’t/Aren’t + s + present participle + complement?

ex: Aren’t I daydreaming now?

Present Continuous

To talk about experience.

Forms:

+ S + have/has + past participle + complement.

ex: They have gone there.

- S + have/has + not + past participle + complement.

ex: They haven’t gone there.

? Have/Has + s + past participle + complement?

ex: Have they gone there?

-? Haven’t/Hasn’t + s + past participle + complement?

ex: Haven’t they gone there?

Present Perfect

Something started in the past and has been continuing up until now.

Forms:

+ S + have/has + been + present participle + complement.

ex: He has been talking about it before.

- S + have/has + not + been + present participle + complement.

ex: He has not been talking about it before.

? Have/Has + s + been + present participle + complement?

ex: Has he been talking about it before?

-? Haven’t/Hasn’t + s + been + present participle + complement?

ex: Hasn’t he been talking about it before?

Present Perfect Continuous

An action started and finished at a specific time in the past.

Forms:

+ S + past verb + complement.

ex: You destroyed my book.

- S + did + not + base verb + complement.

ex: You did not destroy my book.

? Did + s + base verb + complement?

ex: Did you destroy my book?

-? Didn’t + s + base verb + complement?

ex: Didn’t you destroy my book?

Past Simple

OR+ S + was/were + adjective + complement.

ex: It was delicious!

- S + was/were + not + adjective + complement.

ex: It wasn’t delicious!

? Was/Were + s + adjective + complement?

ex: Was it delicious?

-? Wasn’t/Weren’t +s + adjective + complement?

ex: Wasn’t it delicious?

To indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted.

Forms:

+ S + was/were + present participle + complement.

ex: She was singing in the bathroom yesterday.

- S + was/were + not + present participle + complement.

ex: She wasn’t singing in the bathroom yesterday.

? Was/Were + s + present participle + complement?

ex: Was she singing in the bathroom yesterday?

-? Wasn’t/Weren’t + s + present participle + complement?

ex: Wasn’t she singing in the bathroom yesterday?

Past Continuous

Completed action before something in the past.

Forms:

+ S + had + past participle + complement.

ex: We had done it very well.

- S + had + not + past participle + complement.

ex: We hadn’t done it very well.

? Had + s + past participle + complement?

ex: Had we done it very well.

-? Hadn’t + s + past participle + complement?

ex: Hadn’t we done it very well.

Past Perfect

Something started in the past and had been continuing up until another time in the past.

Forms:

+ S + had + been + present participle + complement.

ex: He had been locking the door.

- S + had + not + been + present participle + complement.- ex: He hadn’t been locking the door.

? Had + s + been + present participle + complement?

ex: Had he been locking the door?

-? Hadn’t + s + been + present participle + complement?

ex: Hadn’t he been locking the door?

Past Perfect Continuous

Express the idea of a general prediction about the future.

Forms:

+ S + will/shall + base verb + complement.

ex: They will do it.

- S + will/shall + not + base verb + complement.

ex: They will not do it.

? S + will/shall + base verb + complement?

ex: Will they do it?

-? Won’t + s + base verb + complement?

ex: Won’t they do it.

Future Simple

To indicate that a longer action it the future will be interrupted by a shorter action in the future.

Forms:

+ S + will + be + present participle + complement.

ex: She will be going to United Kingdom.

- S + will + not + be + present participle + complement.

ex: She won’t be going to United Kingdom.

? Will + s + be + present participle + complement?

ex: Will she be going to United Kingdom?

-? Won’t + s + be + present participle + complement?

ex: Won’t she be going to United Kingdom?

Future Continuous

Completed action before something in the future.

Forms:

+ S + will/shall + have + past participle + complement.

ex: I will have made it!

- S + will/shall + not + have + past participle + complement.

ex: I will not have made it!

? Will + s + have + past participle + complement?

ex: Will I have made it?

-? Won’t + s + have + past participle + complement?

ex: Won’t I have made it?

Future Perfect

Something will have been continuing up until a particular event or time in the future.

Forms:

+ S + will + have + been + present participle + complement.

ex: You will have been going there.

- S + will + not + have + been + present participle + complement.

ex: You will not have been going there.

? Will + s + have + been + present participle + complement?

ex: Will you have been going there?

-? Won’t + s + have + been + present participle + complement?

ex: Won’t you have been going there?

Future Perfect Continuous

Forms:

+ S + would/should + base verb + complement.

ex: He would write that journal.

- S + would/should + not + base verb + complement.

ex: He wouldn’t write that journal.

? Would + s + base verb + complement?

ex: Would he write that journal?

-? Wouldn’t + s + base verb + complement?

ex: Wouldn’t he write that journal?

Past Future Simple

Forms:

+ S + would/should + be + present participle + complement.

ex: They would be jogging around there.

- S + would/should + not + be + present participle + complement.

ex: They wouldn’t be jogging around there.

? Would + s + be + present participle +complement?

ex: Would they be jogging around there?

-? Wouldn’t + s + be + present participle +complement?

ex: Wouldn’t they be jogging around there?

Past Future Continuous

Forms:

+ S + would/should + have + past participle + complement.

ex: She would have read that book.

- S + would/should + not + have + past participle + complement.

ex: She wouldn’t have read that book.

? Would + s + have + past participle + complement?

ex: Would she have read that book?

-? Wouldn’t + s + have + past participle + complement?

ex: Wouldn’t she have read that book?

Past Future Perfect

Forms:

+ S + would/should + have + been + present participle + complement.

ex: We would have been eating it.

- S + would/should + not + have + been + present participle + complement.

ex: We wouldn’t have been eating it.

? Would + s + have + been + present participle + complement?

ex: Would we have been eating it?

-? Wouldn’t + s + have + been + present participle + complement?

ex: Would we have been eating it?

Past Future Perfect Continuous